The fragrance is very different. Not dominated by juniper. Has a citrus, hibiscus, earthy fragrance. There is also a slight ketone (sweet alcohol) smell. The taste is super complex. Every sip revealed a different flavor note. It does finish bitter, dry, astringent. Not in a bad way just unique. I liked sipping it but expect it would be fun to mix with sweet vermouth. Not sure how it would do in a dry martini. Might be too dry for this.
About this bottle
Masahiro Okinawa Gin is produced at Masahiro Distillery known for its awamori (a rice-based spirit made only in Okinawa). This gin is made using regional botanicals such as guava leaves, goya (a type of bitter melon), roselle (a type of hibiscus), Balinese long pepper, and shekwasha (a green citrus fruit native to Okinawa) in addition to juniper.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 6 parsed reviews.
I haven’t figured out how to make this gin work. The herbal notes are very strong and, in my opinion, it’s just too busy with one sour note (not sure which herb) dominating above the rest. In other words, it’s not well balanced, for my tastes anyway. Adding lemon does help tone things down, but there’s still something amiss for me.
Clear body mild legging. Juniper, earthy, alcohol aroma. Earthy juniper alcohol rubbery flavor. Medium light body with moderately high alcohol heat. 6/3/6/3/13 3.1
Bizzare nose, very earthy and citrusy. Taste is complex, juniper takes a backseat. Citrus, licorice, and earthy.
Citrusy with hint of guava. best with Indian tonic
Awamori flavor captured in a gin
Tastes like this
Same style and price bracket, best rated first.